Books by Emile Zola

The seventh novel in Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle, The Assommoir is the story of a woman's struggle for happiness in working-class Paris.

Jean Marquart, en bonde der har mistet både kone og jord, slutter sig til de franske tropper for at kæmpe i den krig, der skal føre til Det Andet Kejserdømmes og Napoleon III’s fald. Fortællingen falder i tre dele, som skildrer den fransk-tyske krig og slaget ved Sedan i 1870 og optøjerne i Paris i foråret 1871. ”Det store nederlag” er en del af den franske forfatter Émile Zolas hovedværk ”Les Rougon-Macquart” – en serie på 20 romaner, der alle kan læses som selvstændige værker. Fælles for romanerne er, at de behandler livet under Det Andet Kejserdømme i Frankrig i årene 1852-1870.Émile Zola (1840-1902) var en fransk forfatter og en af de vigtigste eksponenter for naturalismen i litteraturen. Han har fungeret som forbillede for utallige senere forfattere – i Danmark blandt andet Herman Bang. Émile Zola er verdenskendt for det åbne brev ”J’accuse” i forbindelse med Dreyfus-affæren i Frankrig i 1890’erne. Brevet blev bragt i avisen ”L’Aurore” i 1898, og Zola måtte efterfølgende flygte til England. Litterært fik Zola sit gennembrud i 1867 med romanen ”Thèrése Raquin”, mens hans hovedværk ”Les Rougon-Macquart”, en serie på i alt 20 romaner, blev til i årene 1871-1893.

Ufattelig blodig historisk roman om den fransk-tyske krig 1870-71. Vi følger en gruppe franskmænd gennem krigen som undervejs kommer ud for usigelige lidelser. Zola var kendt for at kende sit stof, hvorfor han altid opsøgte de steder og forhold han skrev om. Det mærkes tydeligt, at han tilfulde kendte krigens rædsler.

Fa'er Merliers Mølle ligger netop i frontzonen under den fransk-tyske krig og den indtages skiftevis af de franske og de tyske - netop på dette tidspunkt skal far Merliers datter giftes og tingene udvikler sig til rent katastrofe - det er et virkeligt billede på krigens meningsløshed.

Den franske forfatter Emile Zola er en stor naturalist og en "borgerlig rebel", en samfundsengageret forfatter, der bruger kunsten til at afsløre ubekvemme sandheder. Han var også kendt for at foretage et omhyggeligt forarbejde inden han gav sig i lag med romaner der foregår i bestemte miljøer.Eksempelvis foretog han en grundig research inden romanen Jord om den franske bondestand. Han studerede bøger om landbrug, interviewede folk og drog helt konkret i marken for at kunne give en realistisk skildring, selvom denne måtte vække forargelse i borgerskabet, når han f.eks. skildrede, hvordan en ung pige tager en ko til bedækning. Jord var så langt fra den idealiserede skildring af livet på landet

Da den sprudlende purunge Nana går på scenen til en varieté i Paris, står det klart for alle, at hun ikke har skyggen af talent – hun har til gengæld noget langt mere lukrativt. Nana, der er vokset op i rendestenen, og hvis liv som gadeluder stod skrevet i stjernerne, bliver takket være sin umådelige skønhed den mest begærede og tilbedte kurtisane i hele Paris. De ældre mænd overøser hende med svimlende formuer, de yngre mænd styrter sig i døden for hende, mens Nanas grådighed løber om kap med hendes skønhed.

Dans l'école laïque de Jonville un enfant a été violé et tué. Simon, un instituteur juif, est accusé puis condamné. Son collègue Marc Froment lutte à ses côtés pour rétablir la vérité. Mais l'ensemble du clergé truque les preuves, influence la justice, et ment pour discréditer les écoles laïques et pour protéger le vrai criminel, un frère des écoles chrétiennes.Troisième de la série inachevée de Zola « Les Quatre Évangiles », rédigé lors de la séparation de l'Église et de l'État, « Vérité » illustre le combat entre laïcité et religion. Paru au lendemain de la mort de l'auteur dans L'Aurore, Zola s'impose en défenseur d'une minorité injustement persécutée.Émile Zola (1840-1902) est un écrivain considéré comme le plus lu et traduit du monde. Fils d’un ingénieur, il passe sa jeunesse à Aix-en-Provence. Son père meurt alors que Zola n’a que sept ans. Sa mère est en difficulté financière, et Zola est privé d’études. Il échoue deux fois le bac de français, et cherche du travail pour pallier au problème d’argent. Il obtient un poste de commis chez Hachette après une série de métiers déplaisants. Zola grimpe les échelons et devient en 1860 responsable de la publicité au sein d’Hachette. Grâce à cette situation, il se noue d’amitié avec des écrivains contemporains (Flaubert, Alphonse Daudet, Huysmans, Maupassant…) En 1867, il publie «Thérèse Raquin», un roman naturaliste qui fait scandale dans la presse. Cependant, il continue sur sa lancée et publie une grande quantité de romans naturalistes, avec entre autres les «Rougon-Macquart». Il s’impose ainsi en maître du naturalisme littéraire. À compter de la publication de «l'Assommoir», ses publications prennent de l’ampleur au sein du monde littéraire. Alors qu’il s’achète une villa à Médan, il publie avec Guy de Maupassant, J.-K. Huysmans, Henry Céard, Léon Hennique et Paul Alexis «Les Soirées de Médan». Zola est aussi connu pour avoir lutter contre l’antisémitisme: Le 13 janvier 1898, il publie une lettre ouverte dans le journal l'Aurore de Georges Clemenceau, intitulée «J'accuse…!»

Jean Macquart, après des années de travail aux champs, a repris du service dans l'armée. Alors que la guerre de 1870 bat son plein, Jean se lie d'amitié avec un soldat idéaliste. Contrairement à Jean qui rêve d'ordre et de discipline, Maurice Levasseur rêve d'une France libre et révoltée face aux injustices. Malgré leurs idéologies différentes, Jean et Maurice se respectent et s'entraident. Pourtant un évènement politique va bouleverser leur relation dans le sang et la violence : la Commune de Paris.Dix-neuvième volume des « Rougon-Macquart », « La Débâcle » oscille entre reportage de guerre et évènements politiques. D'une plume qui se veut proche du réel, Zola fait la fresque d'une France meurtrie par l'Histoire, l'échec d'une guerre et les crises politiques du XIXème siècle.Émile Zola (1840-1902) est un écrivain considéré comme le plus lu et traduit du monde. Fils d’un ingénieur, il passe sa jeunesse à Aix-en-Provence. Son père meurt alors que Zola n’a que sept ans. Sa mère est en difficulté financière, et Zola est privé d’études. Il échoue deux fois le bac de français, et cherche du travail pour pallier au problème d’argent. Il obtient un poste de commis chez Hachette après une série de métiers déplaisants. Zola grimpe les échelons et devient en 1860 responsable de la publicité au sein d’Hachette. Grâce à cette situation, il se noue d’amitié avec des écrivains contemporains (Flaubert, Alphonse Daudet, Huysmans, Maupassant…) En 1867, il publie «Thérèse Raquin», un roman naturaliste qui fait scandale dans la presse. Cependant, il continue sur sa lancée et publie une grande quantité de romans naturalistes, avec entre autres les «Rougon-Macquart». Il s’impose ainsi en maître du naturalisme littéraire. À compter de la publication de «l'Assommoir», ses publications prennent de l’ampleur au sein du monde littéraire. Alors qu’il s’achète une villa à Médan, il publie avec Guy de Maupassant, J.-K. Huysmans, Henry Céard, Léon Hennique et Paul Alexis «Les Soirées de Médan». Zola est aussi connu pour avoir lutter contre l’antisémitisme: Le 13 janvier 1898, il publie une lettre ouverte dans le journal l'Aurore de Georges Clemenceau, intitulée «J'accuse…!»

Le bel Octave Mouret a quitté la province pour Paris. Il loue une chambre dans un immeuble de six étages de la rue de Choiseul, trouve un emploi dans le magasin Au Bonheur des Dames, et rêve d'avoir une maîtresse. Décidé à séduire une femme par étage, Octave découvre que chaque famille a ses secrets…Dans ce dixième volume des « Rougon-Macquart », Zola fait la caricatures des bourgeois. Derrière les bonnes morales et les grandes façades mijotent des tambouilles aux vices et à l'hypocrisie débordants.Émile Zola (1840-1902) est un écrivain considéré comme le plus lu et traduit du monde. Fils d’un ingénieur, il passe sa jeunesse à Aix-en-Provence. Son père meurt alors que Zola n’a que sept ans. Sa mère est en difficulté financière, et Zola est privé d’études. Il échoue deux fois le bac de français, et cherche du travail pour pallier au problème d’argent. Il obtient un poste de commis chez Hachette après une série de métiers déplaisants. Zola grimpe les échelons et devient en 1860 responsable de la publicité au sein d’Hachette. Grâce à cette situation, il se noue d’amitié avec des écrivains contemporains (Flaubert, Alphonse Daudet, Huysmans, Maupassant…) En 1867, il publie «Thérèse Raquin», un roman naturaliste qui fait scandale dans la presse. Cependant, il continue sur sa lancée et publie une grande quantité de romans naturalistes, avec entre autres les «Rougon-Macquart». Il s’impose ainsi en maître du naturalisme littéraire. À compter de la publication de «l'Assommoir», ses publications prennent de l’ampleur au sein du monde littéraire. Alors qu’il s’achète une villa à Médan, il publie avec Guy de Maupassant, J.-K. Huysmans, Henry Céard, Léon Hennique et Paul Alexis «Les Soirées de Médan». Zola est aussi connu pour avoir lutter contre l’antisémitisme: Le 13 janvier 1898, il publie une lettre ouverte dans le journal l'Aurore de Georges Clemenceau, intitulée «J'accuse…!»

'Waarheid' is gebaseerd op Zola's ervaringen met de beroemde veroordeelde legerofficier, Alfred Dreyfus. Het maakt deel uit van 'De vier evangeliën' (Vruchtbaarheid, Werk, Waarheid en Rechtvaardigheid) een verzameling romans waarmee Zola de fundamentele beginselen van het menselijk leven hoopte te onderzoeken. Dit is het laatste deel van de drie delen van 'Waarheid'.Émile François Zola (1840-1902) was een invloedrijk Frans romanschrijver, journalist en toneelschrijver en de zelfbenoemde leider van het Franse naturalisme. Meer dan de helft van Zola's romans maakte deel uit van een reeks van 20 boeken die gezamenlijk bekend staan als 'Les Rougon-Macquart'.Tot zijn bekendste werken behoren 'Germinal' (1885), 'La Bête Humaine' (1890), 'L'Assommoir' (1877), 'Thérèse Raquin' (1867), 'Au Bonheur des Dames' (1883) en 'L'Oeuvre' (1886), dat een gefictionaliseerde weergave was van zijn vriend Cézanne en het bohemienleven van schilders.Zola was een belangrijke figuur in de politieke liberalisering van Frankrijk en is beroemd geworden door zijn rol in de vrijspraak van de vals beschuldigde en veroordeelde legerofficier Alfred Dreyfus, dankzij zijn befaamde krantenartikel met de kop "J'Accuse...!".Zola werd tweemaal genomineerd voor de Nobelprijs voor Literatuur, in 1901 en 1902.

'Waarheid' is gebaseerd op Zola's ervaringen met de beroemde veroordeelde legerofficier, Alfred Dreyfus. Het maakt deel uit van 'De vier evangeliën' (Vruchtbaarheid, Werk, Waarheid en Rechtvaardigheid) een verzameling romans waarmee Zola de fundamentele beginselen van het menselijk leven hoopte te onderzoeken. Dit is deel twee van de drie delen van 'Waarheid'.Émile François Zola (1840-1902) was een invloedrijk Frans romanschrijver, journalist en toneelschrijver en de zelfbenoemde leider van het Franse naturalisme. Meer dan de helft van Zola's romans maakte deel uit van een reeks van 20 boeken die gezamenlijk bekend staan als 'Les Rougon-Macquart'.Tot zijn bekendste werken behoren 'Germinal' (1885), 'La Bête Humaine' (1890), 'L'Assommoir' (1877), 'Thérèse Raquin' (1867), 'Au Bonheur des Dames' (1883) en 'L'Oeuvre' (1886), dat een gefictionaliseerde weergave was van zijn vriend Cézanne en het bohemienleven van schilders.Zola was een belangrijke figuur in de politieke liberalisering van Frankrijk en is beroemd geworden door zijn rol in de vrijspraak van de vals beschuldigde en veroordeelde legerofficier Alfred Dreyfus, dankzij zijn befaamde krantenartikel met de kop "J'Accuse...!".Zola werd tweemaal genomineerd voor de Nobelprijs voor Literatuur, in 1901 en 1902.

'Waarheid' (1931) is geschreven door de invloedrijke Franse auteur, journalist en toneelschrijver Émile Zola.Wanneer een jongen op brute wijze wordt vermoord, verspreidt zich een golf van woede en razernij door een klein dorp. Maar als de geruchten en de wrok toenemen, zal iemand dan ooit de waarheid ontdekken?'Waarheid' is gebaseerd op Zola's ervaringen met de beroemde veroordeelde legerofficier, Alfred Dreyfus. Het maakt deel uit van 'De vier evangeliën' (Vruchtbaarheid, Werk, Waarheid en Rechtvaardigheid) een verzameling romans waarmee Zola de fundamentele beginselen van het menselijk leven hoopte te onderzoeken. Dit is deel één van de drie delen van 'Waarheid'.Émile François Zola (1840-1902) was een invloedrijke Frans romanschrijver, journalist en toneelschrijver en de zelfbenoemde leider van het Franse naturalisme. Meer dan de helft van Zola's romans maakte deel uit van een reeks van 20 boeken die gezamenlijk bekend staan als 'Les Rougon-Macquart'.Tot zijn bekendste werken behoren 'Germinal' (1885), 'La Bête Humaine' (1890), 'L'Assommoir' (1877), 'Thérèse Raquin' (1867), 'Au Bonheur des Dames' (1883) en 'L'Oeuvre' (1886), dat een gefictionaliseerde weergave was van zijn vriend Cézanne en het bohemienleven van schilders.Zola was een belangrijke figuur in de politieke liberalisering van Frankrijk en is beroemd geworden door zijn rol in de vrijspraak van de vals beschuldigde en veroordeelde legerofficier Alfred Dreyfus, dankzij zijn befaamde krantenartikel met de kop "J'Accuse...!".Zola werd tweemaal genomineerd voor de Nobelprijs voor Literatuur, in 1901 en 1902.

The Experimental Novel (1880) is an essay by French author Émile Zola. Written at the height of his career as a leading proponent of Naturalism, The Experimental Novel serves to illuminate the author's approach to the practice and purpose of writing while advocating for a revolution of style among artists of his era. Read as a reaction against Romanticism, The Experimental Novel proves a convincing counterpoint to the excesses and failures of nineteenth century art, illustrating the need for literature to draw inspiration from other sources of human understanding-such as science, history, and the social sciences-in order to effectively explore the themes of everyday life. "The return to nature, the naturalistic evolution which marks the century, drives little by little all the manifestation of human intelligence into the same scientific path. Only the idea of a literature governed by science is doubtless a surprise, until explained with precision and understood. It seems to me necessary, then, to say briefly and to the point what I understand by the experimental novel." Rather than imitate reality, a writer must attempt a scientific investigation of the nature of everyday life. For Zola, plot must be secondary to character, and character must be subject to the laws and limitations of a particular society. As a writer interested in the relationships between rich and poor, citizen and state, culture and economy, and personal and public life, Zola found it necessary to write experimental fiction-literally, fiction which experiments with its object of inquiry. Blending science and art, he revolutionized not only the idea of what a novel is and can do, but the responsibility of the artist to society. The Experimental Novel is a masterful essay for readers interested in Zola's work and in the history and philosophy of literature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Émile Zola's The Experimental Novel is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Ladies' Delight (1883) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. The eleventh of twenty volumes of Zola's monumental Les Rougon-Macquart series is an epic story of family, politics, class, and history that traces the disparate paths of several French citizens raised by the same mother. Spanning the entirety of the French Second Empire, Zola provides a sweeping portrait of change that refuses to shy away from controversy and truth as it gets to the heart of heredity and human nature. At the age of twenty, Denise Baudu moves to Paris with her brothers and finds work at "Au Bonheur des Dames," a new department store owned by eccentric entrepreneur Octave Mouret. There, she grows accustomed to 13-hour days, inferior food and housing, and the constant grind of thankless labor. Despite her circumstances, she soon finds herself attracted to Mouret, a notorious womanizer whose exploitative business practices have alienated him from employees and local businesspeople. Mouret's ambition and innovation have led him to corner the market on textiles, womenswear, furniture, and household goods, infuriating his competitors and driving smaller shops into bankruptcy. Until Denise, he has avoided tying himself down to another, intent on building a fortune for himself without the interference of family. Innocent at first, she soon learns how to manipulate Octave to do her bidding. The Ladies' Delight is a story of family and fate, a thrilling and detailed novel that continues a series rich enough for its author to explore in twenty total volumes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Émile Zola's The Ladies' Delight is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Sin of Father Mouret (1875) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. The fifth of twenty volumes of Zola's monumental Les Rougon-Macquart series is an epic story of family, politics, class, and history that traces the disparate paths of several French citizens raised by the same mother. Spanning the entirety of the French Second Empire, Zola provides a sweeping portrait of change that refuses to shy away from controversy and truth as it gets to the heart of heredity and human nature. Serge Mouret is a pious, if not overzealous young man. For his first assignment after taking his religious orders, he is appointed parish priest of the impoverished village of Artauds. Unable to attract villagers to his sermons, he pontificates to an empty, dilapidated church, determined to explore and expose the innermost spaces of his soul. Unconcerned with worldly affairs, he grows increasingly neurotic, eventually suffering a debilitating breakdown. Unable to care for himself, Father Mouret is taken into the care of Doctor Pascal Rougon, a distant relative. At his suggestion, Mouret is sent to Le Paradou, a rundown estate, where he is to live out his life in peace and near-solitude. There, he befriends Albine, a young girl who seems to have grown up alone at Le Paradou, and who dotes on her ailing housemate. As time goes by, he begins to fall in love with her, and their friendship develops into an innocent, blissful romance. The Sin of Father Mouret is a story of family and fate, a thrilling and detailed novel that continues a series rich enough for its author to explore in twenty total volumes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Émile Zola's The Sin of Father Mouret is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Claude's Confession (1865) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. Written at night while Zola was employed at Hachette, Claude's Confession proved scandalous upon publication and resulted in the loss of his job. Undeterred by the response to his literary debut, Zola took advantage of his newfound infamy in order to embark on a career as one of France's foremost experimental writers. Intent on exploring taboo and the lives of people on the edge of society, Zola crafts a narrative capable of illuminating the human condition while humanizing those typically disdained by the literary elite. Born and raised in Provence, Claude is shocked to find that the Paris of legend is a city mired in poverty, decay, and loneliness. As he struggles to make ends meet in order to pay for his tiny apartment, he takes notice of a young woman who lives in the same building as him. Although he knows she is a prostitute, his feelings for him grow stronger than the impulse to look down on her way of life. After months of silent longing, he opens his door to find her standing there, desperate for help after being evicted. Despite his limited income, he welcomes her inside, and their relationship soon develops into a passionate romance. Claude's Confession is a story of forbidden love, fading hope, and the false promise of modern life. Written at the very beginning of Zola's career, it shows the innerworkings of a young mind interested in subjects too often ignored by writers, a mind whose guiding principle is truth and truth alone. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Émile Zola's Claude's Confession is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Madeleine Férat (1868) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. Following the success of his third novel, Thérèse Raquin (1867), Zola published Madeleine Férat to lukewarm critical acclaim. Intent on exploring taboo and the lives of people on the edge of society, Zola crafts a narrative capable of illuminating the human condition while humanizing those typically disdained by the literary elite. In 1920, Madeleine Férat was adapted into an Italian silent film starring Francesca Bertini. To anyone who makes their acquaintance, Guillaume and Madeleine have a storybook romance-marriage, a child, the inheritance of a beautiful villa and a sizeable fortune; these things and more bless their family from the start and promise a lengthy, healthy relationship. As Madeleine adjusts to the comforts and curiosities of married life, she finds herself emboldened to share aspects of her personal history with Guillaume. One night, she decides to tell him a story involving a former lover, sparing no details on their sexual relationship. To her horror, she discovers that her lover was once Guillaume's best friend. Rather than amusing her husband, she shatters their idyllic existence, plunging him into doubt and despair while exposing herself to his hidden vindictive side. Madeleine Férat is a story of love, secrets, and the false promise of modern life. Written at the very beginning of Zola's career, it shows the innerworkings of a young mind interested in subjects too often ignored by writers, a mind whose guiding principle is truth and truth alone. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Émile Zola's Madeleine Férat is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

A Page of Love (1878) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. The eighth of twenty volumes of Zola's monumental Les Rougon-Macquart series is an epic story of family, politics, class, and history that traces the disparate paths of several French citizens raised by the same mother. Spanning the entirety of the French Second Empire, Zola provides a sweeping portrait of change that refuses to shy away from controversy and truth as it gets to the heart of heredity and human nature. Hélène Grandjean, a member of the Mouret family, finds herself desperate and alone when her husband Charles dies from a sudden illness. Left as the sole guardian of her young daughter Jeanne, she does her best to provide while overcoming the boundaries of life in a strange new town. Having moved from Marseilles to the suburbs of Paris only days before Charles' death, Hélène longs for friendship and community. When Jeanne suffers a violent seizure, she receives assistance from her neighbor, Dr. Deberle. Soon, Hélène befriends Deberle and his wife Juliette, who introduce her to their family and small circle of acquaintances. Although she remains wary of romance, Hélène soon finds herself falling in love with a kind and gentle man, a figure capable of caring for her and her young daughter-a man who is already married. A Page of Love is a story of family and fate, a thrilling and detailed novel that continues a series rich enough for its author to explore in twenty total volumes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Émile Zola's A Page of Love is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Work (1901) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. Published as the second installment of his Les Quatre Évangiles, a series of four novels inspired by the New Testament gospels and aimed at investigating prominent social issues, Work was the last of Zola's novels to be published during his lifetime. Combining his trademark naturalist style with an interest in Charles Fourier's theory of socialist utopianism, Zola crafts a story of hardship and perseverance without losing sight of humanity. Luc Fremont, an engineer, travels to a town at the heart of an important French industrial region. While staying in Beaumont, he is struck by the widespread poverty suffered by the working class, the very people whose expertise and labor is essential to the economic health of the nation. Calling upon an old friend, who owns a local steelworks, Luc enters into a deal in order to manage the production of La Crêcherie under an experimental cooperative model. With his determination and the hard work of the people, Luc establishes the steelworks as a functioning independent city-state, known for its profit-sharing, free housing, and focus on the lives of its workers and their families. As news of their success begins to spread, similar experiments take place across France and the globe, harnessing the transformative power of industry for the sake of people, not profit.Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

La muerte sorprende a los padres de Denise Baudu, dejando a ella y a sus dos hermanos huérfanos y sin recursos. La joven decide trasladarse a París con la esperanza de poder trabajar en el comercio de su tío, pero la realidad en la capital es desalentadora: la tienda está en declive tras la apertura de unos grandes almacenes, «El paraíso de las damas», dirigidos por Octavio Mouret. Necesitada de dinero, Denise acaba encontrando trabajo en dichos almacenes para gran disgusto de su familia. La joven se enfrenta a todo tipo de adversidades, pero su honestidad y sentido de la moral le permiten progresar en ese entorno hostil, donde hay lugar para el odio, la desesperación y también el amor.Este audiolibro está narrado en castellano.Émile Zola nació en París en 1840 en el seno de una familia acomodada. Trabajó como empleado de aduanas y en publicidad antes de dedicarse plenamente a la literatura. Fue el máximo representante del naturalismo y el gran impulsor de la llamada novela experimental. Entre sus obras más destacadas se encuentra la serie «Los Rougon-Macquart», compuesta por veinte novelas, y ensayos como «El naturalismo en el teatro» y «¡Yo acuso!».

"Respectable people...What bastards!"Rake-thin and exhausted prisoner Florent, wrongly convicted during the 1848 Revolution, escapes and seeks refuge with his half-brother in Paris. Florent finds a job at the local central market Les Halles. Initially he is met with a baffled but friendly warmth. But this warmth soon erodes into a poisonous animosity in an atmosphere shot with insidious political intrigue, petty rivalries and perfidious gossip from the "respectable people", that impinge upon the Florent's safety and wellbeing. 'The Fat and the Thin' is the third installment of the 'Les Rougon-Macquart' series packed with powerful social commentary comparing those in power (the fat) to those in the lower classes (the thin). The allegories of the burgeoning Parisian market stalls are so poignant that the reader would be forgiven for thinking this is a story of anthropomorphism, where the characters have turned into the food they buy and sell. Yet, simultaneously rebuffed with depictions of abject poverty, this is an unforgettable novel reminiscent of 'The Ladies’ Paradise' and 'Nana'. It comes as little surprise that literary icons Charles Dickens and Anthony Bourdain cited Zola among their favourite authors. Émile Zola (1840-1902) was a French novelist, journalist, and playwright, and one of the most prolific purveyors of French naturalism. His primary literary topics include violence and its repercussions, alcoholism and issues within the nuclear family.

‘A Love Episode’, the eighth entry in the ‘Les Rougon-Marquart- cycle is unusual in Zola’s collection as it seemingly does not contain a social critique but instead focuses intensely on our protagonist, Helene. Helene is a widow caring for her sickly daughter on a daily basis who gradually falls in love with her doctor. It is an intense character study of a dutiful woman who refuses her happiness at every turn, constantly torn between her duties as a mother and her own personal needs. It is a maelstrom of love, affairs and heartbreak in the City of Lights, powered by it’s brilliantly written protagonist and bookended by a profound conclusion. It is a wonderful read, perfect for anyone who loved Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’.Émile Zola (1840-1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, two time Nobel Prize nominee and one of the most important representatives of French naturalism. He was a very influential figure in France’s liberalisation, as well as in the exoneration of the falsely accused French officer Alfred Dreyfus. More than half of his published work was dedicated to the ‘Les Rougon-Macquart’ cycle, detailing the growth of a single family under the second French Empire and the repercussions of alcoholism and violence on subsequent generations. Zola influenced many writers from the "new journalism" wave of writing, including Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, and Gay Talese. Some of his best known works include "Germinal", "Nana", and "Work".